Painting Your Perennials In A Pretty Light: A Guide to Flower Bed Maintenance

What tools and materials should be used to maintain your beautiful flower beds?

Water source

A reliable and consistent water source is key to maintaining your landscape. Too much water can drown your plants, while too little will dehydrate them very quickly; you may not have thought of water as a tool for your landscape beds, but it’s one of the most important!

Mulch

Mulch is another step in the process that homeowners often don’t consider a “tool,” even though it can do a lot of good! Making sure you have mulch to lay down in your landscape beds is a great way to ensure they are protected and look even more fabulous!

Fertilizer or other treatments

Any lawn treatment falls under the lawn care umbrella and can often mean the difference between a lush garden and a lackluster landscape. However, it’s always best to consult a professional before applying anything to see what your lawn actually needs.

Lawn and steel rakes

These two rake types can make a huge difference when maintaining the lawn. Steel rakes are often smaller and stouter for detailed work, while lawn takes are great for dealing with waives and covering a large area in a shorter period.

Scissors or hand pruners

These gardening tools are handy when you’re ready to begin more detailed, delicate work in your flower beds. They’re used to cut away dead or dying plants that ruin the aesthetic and could spread disease to the other areas of the whole plant.

Trowels, garden spades, and hoes

When you’re ready to start planting new flowers, digging up old ones, or turning the soil, you’ll need these beauties. These tools you’ll find in just about any garden shed are some safer ones for an average homeowner to use on their own in-between professional maintenance.

What are the proper steps in maintaining your flower beds?

Remove dead plants and old mulch

The first step when cleaning out your flower bed and keeping it well-maintained is to clear away dead plants and old mulch that has broken down or been blown about. Dead plants are asking for disease, and that old mulch doesn’t do anything to shield it from damage!

Inspect your beds for pests and other problems

Pests are a serious concern for everyone – they can ruin a landscape bed quicker than you realize. Other problems include soil compaction and poor drainage. Take the time to inspect your gardens before proceeding further in case any repairs need to be made.

Pull up weeds that have sprouted

Weeds will spread like wildfire if you’re not careful and stop the nutrients from the plants you want to keep around. If you see any that have managed to pop their way through the soil, they should be carefully pulled and gotten rid of immediately to avoid them spreading!

Edge around your beds

If you’re looking for more effective ways to keep weeds out of your flower beds and boundaries established, edging is the way to go! However, this should be done before planting, mulching, and other treatments.

Replant any flora you want to add

If your flower beds seem to be missing something, or you lost some of them over the Winter, this is the step where you plant new ones. Take the time to pick out what you want; they can be installed when you’re ready.

Water the entire flower bed

When the flowerbeds have been completely cleared of dead plants, and you replanted anything you wanted, it’s time to give the soil a much-needed watering! Then, dig into the top 2 to 3 inches of soil to see how dry it is; after this, you can determine how big of a soaking it needs.

Add fertilizer if necessary then mulch

Lawn treatments are a very tricky subject because it’s all based on timing and balance. You don’t want to burn your property, and you want to ensure it’s getting the nutrients it needs, especially after Winter – but again, always consult a professional first.

Keep landscape beds cleaned

We are quickly approaching spring cleaning season – meaning your entire landscape needs a “sweep through” to clear away unwanted debris. In addition, your landscape beds need to be kept up after maintenance throughout the season to ensure their longevity and lasting beauty.

Who can I go to for help with my gardens?

No one knows your style and needs better than you, but no one knows landscaping better than a trained professional. So when you enlist the help of people like Mowing R Us, your flower beds will never look better! We’ve got you and your landscape’s back!